OnApp Works with Intel, BT, Cambridge University, NEC

OnApp Ltd joined Intel, BT, Cambridge University,
NEC and other field leaders on the
EU-funded Trilogy 2 project.

Trilogy 2 is
a collaboration that aims to develop and promote new communication standards
that will enable fluid access to compute, storage and bandwidth resources
across geographically distributed clouds. By connecting pools of cloud
infrastructure and promoting standards for interoperability in this way, the
Trilogy 2 project will help evolve today’s disconnected cloud resources into a
‘liquid network’ that enables businesses to draw on the most appropriate
resources for their needs, based on various metrics such as location, price and
performance.

OnApp’s involvement draws on its experience building one of the world’s
largest networks of clouds, which connects service providers in more than 40
countries into a single global pool of capacity. As a key member of Trilogy 2,
OnApp will help develop a framework to extend this further by improving the
liquidity of IT resources, as well as improving interoperability between OnApp
and other cloud platforms, such as OpenStack. OnApp’s key contribution is to
develop the project’s Information Model, which describes how different
resources are defined and identified in this ‘liquid network.’

"The liquid network concept is
really about flexibility and choice," said Julian Chesterfield, who
leads the virtualization and storage team at OnApp’s Cambridge campus. "Cloud technology is maturing fast and we’re
seeing more viable use cases emerge in every sector, from gaming to government
– but the next leap in the way software, services and devices are designed and
used will only take place if we create a standardized way to make them truly
global – that is, enabling them to exploit connectivity, storage and compute
power wherever it makes most sense to do so."

"When companies aren’t hindered by barriers
between platforms or geographies, and instead can choose IT resources based on
what matters to them and their users, that’s when we’ll see real innovation
begin to emerge. This is a really important initiative, and we’re excited and
privileged to be working on a crucial part of the future fabric of the
Internet," he added.

Trilogy 2 began in January 2013, and is a three-year project led by UC3M and
funded by the European Union’s Seventh Framework Programme FP7/2007-2013 under
Trilogy 2 project, grant agreement n°317756. It follows the first
Trilogy project, which developed new technologies to help manage Internet
traffic congestion, including Multi-Path Transmission Control Protocol (MPTCP),
a new multipath routing algorithm for Internet routers, and CONEX, a system
that enables Internet-connected devices to monitor and share information about
network congestion.